Thankfulness Project Tuesday

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  ~Charles Dickens

Well, my Thankfulness Project post is coming to you on Tuesday instead of Monday this week due to Christmas and spending time with my family. I hope you each had a good Christmas, and enjoyed your day spending time with family, friends, or celebrating in whatever fashion you chose to!

 

This is what every night of Christmas break looks like:)

• REAL fires in the fireplace: I don't have a fireplace at my house, so when I'm at my parent's house I soak it in for all it's worth. Christmas break to me means having a fire every night while we watch movies, and I love the warmth and glow the fire gives off! 
• Time With My Family: It's been a fun last week, and I'm soaking my last few days of it before heading back home! It's been a great week of eating, watching movies, exercising, and hanging around the house together. 
• The presents I received for Christmas: I hate to be materialistic at all about the holiday, but I AM so thankful for the items I received for Christmas. It's a great time to get some things for the house that I can use on a regular basis, and some other things that I know I will regularly enjoy throughout the year. 
• Pilates: I love it, and wish I could take classes a few times a week! I love how I feel when I do it, and I enjoy the strength I see that comes from doing it. Seriously, you all should try taking some reformer pilates classes- they're awesome!
• Christmas: I'm thankful for the entire season of Christmas. I love the parties and time to celebrate with family & friends. But more then anything, I am thankful for the reason we even celebrate Christmas! I look forward to this month for the entire year, so I'm feeling a little sad that it is over now. 

Now it's your turn:

What're some of your favorite Christmas break traditions? Have you ever tried pilates? 

Merry Christmas!

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.  ~Charles Dickens

The universal joy of Christmas is certainly wonderful.  We ring the bells when princes are born, or toll a mournful dirge when great men pass away.  Nations have their red-letter days, their carnivals and festivals, but once in the year and only once, the whole world stands still to celebrate the advent of a life.  ~Author Unknown

MERRY CHRISTMAS to each of you who read this little blog of mine! I hope you each have a fantastic day celebrating, whether with friends or family. I will be spending it with my family, enjoying time together and spending the day with Christmas lights on and the fire blazing. 

I know that for some, Christmas is a very difficult, painful, or grief-filled day. For those of you who are alone, struggling through an illness, grieving the loss of someone close in your life, or any other number of reasons, I hope that you experience some love and joy tomorrow, and that someone in your life is able to reach out to you. I'm sorry for your pain, and please know there are people out there who care about you and can help you if you need it! 

Now it's your turn:

What's one of your favorite traditions on Christmas Day? 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

Working out with my family! One of my family traditions is to work out every day together once we all get to my parents house for Christmas. We've been going to the gym every day, and spinning, doing yoga, pilates, and weight-lifting together. Not only do we get in some quality time together, but we also stay healthy! It's a great time of fun, laughter, and sweating, and it's good to see each family member choosing to be healthy!

Favorite Quote of the Week

"It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you... yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand." -Mother Teresa

While this is the season of gift giving, I'm wondering if you can think of some "gift of love" that you can give 

others this season.

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Time In The Dark - An excellent post on the shortest day of the year, and how it can remind us of important things in life. Check it out!

Favorite Past Post

Thoughts Of A Perfectionist - I included this post this week because during the holiday season, people tend to stress about doing things the "perfect" way or have high expectations of themselves of others. Check this post out, and develop realistic expectations for yourself! 

Favorite Search Term

• who I am changed
• "hi I'm ___ and I" quotes
• 15 days of reducing stress over the holidays (great tips for this month. The link will take you to "part 3" of this series, and you can access part 1 and part 2 from there!)
• anyone can hide. facing up to things, working on things
• template for self care

This post is short & sweet today. I know that, with these last few days before Christmas comes a lot of busy and hectic schedules. Enjoy time with your family & friends as you do your final preparations for Christmas. I know I'll be spending my day shopping & wrapping!

Now it's your turn!

What're some of your "favorites" for the week? What's a "gift of love" you can give to another person this Christmas season?

Christmas Survey

I saw this on Heather's Blog a few days ago, and thought I'd participate! It really doesn't have to do with anything health or counseling related, but that's ok...right? I've always found it interesting how different people celebrate the same holiday. Traditions are fascinating:)

Eggnog or hot chocolate?
Absolutely Hot Chocolate! I love hot chocolate, and now that I have a lactose free recipe, I can make it as often as I'd like! I love putting peppermint in it to add a little extra zing to it!

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
ALWAYS wraps them. I actually never realized until a few years ago that some people got unwrapped Santa gifts. Ours were always wrapped and under the tree, in the stockings, and on the fireplace.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White goes on the main tree and colored lights goes on the "kids" Christmas tree (the tree with all our old ornaments and things we made growing up). Colored lights are acceptable outside, as are white:)

Do you hang mistletoe?
No.

When do you hang your decorations up?
The weekend before Thanksgiving. That way, when I return home after visiting my parents for Thanksgiving, it's all decorated. I don't turn on the lights until after Thanksgiving.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
This is difficult. I REALLY look forward to creamed onions at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. And this amazing strawberry jello with strawberry chunks in it. I only eat these two foods at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so they're special.

Favorite holiday memory as a child?
I have so many fantastic Christmas memories from growing up that it is really hard to choose. We weren't allowed to make any noise on Christmas morning until 8 am, so my cousins and I woke up early and played card games quietly in our rooms. The anticipation was so high, and when we were finally told we could come downstairs, it was amazing:)

What is on your Christmas wish list?
Amazon Gift card to buy a few books as I think of them throughout the year. That way I don't have to feel the pressure of coming up with books on the spot!

Do you open up gifts on Christmas Eve?
Don't even get me started on this one:) We do NOT open our gifts on Christmas Eve and I don't think that I ever will open them on the 24th. Growing up, we were allowed to open up one gift on Christmas Eve.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
At my house my tree is pretty simple. White lights with differed colored balls. Simple but beautiful! At my parents house, we decorate the "kids tree" with our favorite ornaments, and the various things we made at school growing up. It's fun to look back at old crafts and school pictures attached to ornaments.

Snow? Love it or dread it?
I love the snow, but really dislike the cold. I would like snow from December 1-January 20th or so, and then I'm pretty much over it.

Real tree or fake tree?
I have a fake tree right now because I don't actually spend Christmas at my place. My parents have always had a real tree, but the "kids tree" is also a fake one. I love the smell of fresh pine trees!

Do you remember your favorite gift?
I definitely don't have a single "favorite gift" that I've gotten. One year I really wanted a blanket from one of my favorite places, and asked my mom for it every day from October until mid December. I still use that blanket on a daily basis, and it reminds me of so many fantastic memories from growing up. It's a sentimental and practical gift all in one.

What's the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Amidst all of the parties, gifts, and celebrations, I remember that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus. It's also important for me to spend time with my family.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
This is a tough one because we don't have one traditional holiday dessert. I love the Christmas cookies that we make each year though!

What is your favorite tradition?
Last year was the first Christmas that we did something different, so we're a little bit trying to create some new traditions right now. Every Christmas Eve we go to church, then drive around to look at Christmas lights, and then come home and eat cake (it's Jesus' birthday, remember?), read the Night Before Christmas, and Luke 2. On Christmas day we try to drag out the gift opening all day. We slowly open gifts, talk, play games, and go on a walk throughout the day. The entire day is spent together as a family.

What tops your tree?
An angel that we've had since before I was born.

Do you prefer giving or receiving?
Buying gifts for people makes me really anxious, unless I know that the person has asked for that specific item. I've never enjoyed buying gifts, but it's not because of the time it takes or the money spent. I just get nervous. However, if I know someone has wanted that item, then I love giving gifts! I like getting gifts, but part of me always feels a little bad about the entire thing.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day- I linked it here so you can check it out. I'm all about a good story behind the song, and this song has a fantastic story. Until a few years ago, however, it was either O Holy Night or The First Noel.

Candy canes, yuck or yum?
I really like the fruity candy canes. I don't normally go out of my way to eat a plain peppermint candy cane, but I do love putting them in hot chocolate.

Favorite Christmas movie?
Another tough one, because I try to watch so many every year. I really love It's A Wonderful Life. I think the concept of us reaching out and touching more people then we realize it a fantastic idea, and one that we generally don't think about. It's interesting to think what life would really be like for our loved ones if we hadn't ever been born.

What do you leave for Santa?
Nothing now. Growing up it was always milk and cookies.

Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
oops! I already answered this. We had to sit quietly in our rooms until 8 am, so we played card games and whispered excitedly amongst all the cousins. We would then line up on the stairs and take pictures, and could hear the Christmas music playing downstairs. We would then all run downstairs into the living room and grab out stockings!

Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?
Mall.

Christmas letter or Christmas card?
I know sometimes the Christmas letter can be a brag fest, but whether it is informative, bragging, or completely ridiculous, I LOVE the Christmas letter. I love reading them!

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, and it's certainly interesting to see how traditions change as we get older and as the family make-up changes. I've packed in at least one Christmas movie a week, and listen to Christmas music many times a day. Basically, I just love Christmas, and I love watching movies at night with the fire going, Christmas lights on, and my family around me.

Now it's your turn!
Answer one or some of these questions! What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Thankfulness Project Monday

"A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all. But softly gives itself away; while quite unselfish, it grows small." -Eva K. Logue

Christmas is only a few days away (and Hanukkah starts tomorrow!) , and I'm sure most of you out there are busy prepping for the holiday, traveling, or getting ready to visit family or friends. If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a few deep breaths and check out these tips. And focus on the things that you are thankful for today. Without any further ado, here are a few things I'm feeling thankful for right now:

• Christmas Outfits: No, I don't wear Christmas sweaters, and certainly don't even own a "tacky Christmas sweater", but I do love holiday themed outfits (red, green, sparkles... you get the picture). It's been fun to see everyone dress in professional Christmasy types clothes over the last few weeks, and makes the day just a little more fun!
• Christmas Music: Songs like Carol of The Bells or I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day definitely add some extra joy and fun to the Christmas season. I've been listening to Christmas music in the car, in my house, and have instrumental Christmas music playing quietly in the background of my sessions. It's cheery and brings warmth to the room. I love it:)
• Reading: I don't read nearly as much as I would like to, but when I do get the chance, I really enjoy it. It's fun to learn about new people, cultures, or topics in my field, but it's also fun to lose yourself in a good story! 
• For the ability to deal with stress appropriately: This is a bit of a different take on the things I'm thankful for, but I'm very glad that we aren't doomed to feeling out of control and I'm glad that we have the ability to control our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I'm thankful we have the power to choose healthy coping skills over those that are unhealthy. 
• For clients who work hard and fight to get healthy: It's so amazing to watch people fight towards health and make changes in their life. I really feel lucky to have such an amazing job! 

Now it's your turn!

What are you feeling thankful for today? What's your favorite Christmas song? 

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day {2011}

Last December, I published a post called "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day". Here I am, about a year later, writing a post with pretty much the identical title. Why, you might ask? Because I LOVE THE SONG and I think it's well worth mentioning once again on this blog. Please go back to the original post and read the story behind the song. The story of Longfellow is absolutely amazing, and it's interesting to understand the mental state he was in when he penned the words to this song.

So many of us come to the holiday season feeling broken or going through a deep struggle with something or someone. Longfellow was no stranger to brokenness yet somehow, in the midst of that pain, he was able to find peace through something beautiful. I love the story, and I love the song. I love the realness of his brokenness, and I love his journey to hope and acceptance. It's moving. 

You may have missed the following posts this week:

Thankfulness Project Monday

Tips For Reducing Stress During The Holidays {Part 3}
Wellness Wednesday: {Self Care Part 2}
Healthy Coping Skills
Friday Favorites

Peppermint Cookies

One week until Christmas! Remember to take some time to think about some steps to take to be healthy this week. 

Now it's your turn!

What are some small goals you have to keep yourself healthy this week? 

Peppermint Cookies Recipe

A few weeks ago, I saw this recipe for Peppermint Cookies and just KNEW that I had to try them out. Heather has some fantastic recipes that are absolutely delicious, and the pictures she included looked great. You'll have to head over her site to get the actual recipe, but I thought I'd share a little snippet of my attempt at her recipe.

Ingredients
Butter
Sugar
All Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Almond Milk
Vanilla
Peppermint Extract
Crushed Peppermint Candies or Candy Canes

According to Heather, the dough was supposed to be crumbly and be fashioned into a log and refrigerated. I went over the recipe multiple times, but it was not crumbly, and didn't get solid while refrigerating it (I wish I knew what went wrong!) I clumped it into balls instead, so they aren't shaped nearly as well as Heather's turned out to be. I also ended up cooking it for almost double the length of time that she suggested, and I'm guessing that's because of the different consistency of the dough.

Despite it not turning out exactly like Heather's cookies did, they were still DELICIOUS and well worth the amount of time it took to make them.

Crushed up candy canes. I put them in a plastic bag and smashed them with a meat pounder. 

See? Not at all the consistency they were supposed to be...

But all turned out well because they were DELICIOUS! 

Ok, so they don't look nearly as appetizing as they did with the original recipe, so make sure to check it out. But trust me, these little guys are worth your time to make. I'm planning on making them again soon:)

Now it's your turn!

What's your favorite Christmas cookie to make? Feel free to share your link below! 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

This week one of my favorite "little delights" has been watching Christmas movies with friends. I know I've mentioned Christmas movies a few times in recent posts, but since I've tried to watch a Christmas movie every day, I'd say it's a pretty big part of my weeks. After work and exercise, I get together with friends and watch a Christmas movie with Christmas tree lights on, drinking Christmas tea, and with scented candles. The entire thing is so incredibly relaxing and enjoyable, and a great way to slow down during a busy time of the year. 

Favorite Quote of the Week

The one resolution, which was in my mind long before it took the form of a resolution, 

is the key-note of my life.  It is this, always to
regard as mere impertinences of fate the handicaps which were placed
upon my life almost at the beginning.  I resolved that they should
not crush or dwarf my soul, but rather be made to  blossom, like
Aaron's rod,  with flowers.
-- Helen Keller

Helen Keller has always been an inspiration to me in regards to joy and utter perseverance despite some incredibly difficult circumstances. This is an amazing perspective to have. 

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Get Healthy, Starting NOW! Heater @ Running With Sass, along with the other FitFluential Ambassadors, posted some of her great tips for getting healthy NOW. There's no reason to wait until after the Holiday season is over to make steps towards health. Check out her post for a few little things you can do throughout this season! 

Favorite Past Post

Learning to Fail Better - One common theme I see in my clients and friends is this idea of letting failure (or a perception of failure) define you. 

Favorite Search Term

• woman walking on clouds
• types of wellness
• military gratitude
• love ocd
• what medications are used for awareness

Now it's your turn!

What have been some of your own "favorites" for the week? Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?

Tips For Reducing Stress During the Holidays {Part 3}

Are any of you starting to feel the pressure and stress of the Holiday Season yet? Christmas can certainly bring out high levels of stress for people, so my goal is to give some easy and practical ways of reducing stress this season. If you've missed the other posts in this series, here are Part 1 and Part 2.

Here are a few other tips for reducing stress:

• Be practical in the amount of people you buy for: While we may want to get gifts for all those in our lives, sometimes it isn't practical financially or time-wise. Set a limit on the amount of people you are buying for in your life. Your friends will probably more then understanding, or at least relieved it's one less gift they have to buy as well. If you've usually given a gift to someone, and have chosen not to this year, be assertive and tell them that upfront. If you're tight on money, let them know that, while you'd like to buy something for them, you just can't do it this year, but still want them to know that you appreciate your friendship. 
• Be aware of what your unhealthy coping mechanisms are: Most of us have some unhealthy ways to cope with situations: food, alcohol, picking, etc... Plan in advance what you will do when you are tempted to use these unhealthy coping mechanisms. I find that it can be helpful to create a list in advance of healthy things you can do when you are in a place that you need to cope so it is ready at your fingertips when it is needed. 
• Be careful to not have unrealistic expectations for family: Sometimes we expect that a family member's behavior will change simply because it's Christmas. Generally speaking, people are who they are no matter what time of the year it is, meaning that just because it's a big holiday doesn't mean the person's behavior will change. 
• Practice deep breathing regularly: When we start getting stressed, it's easy for us to feel short of breath, our heart races, and our tension shoots up. Practicing deep breathing throughout the day will help keep your stress at bay, allowing you to function as best as possible. Click here to read about developing a deep breathing practice. 
• Understand that you don't HAVE to get together with family: Sometimes we feel that the holidays obligate us to spend time with family. While it's nice if you can, you are in no way obligated to do this. Perhaps your family is toxic or too inappropriate/dysfunctional/unsafe to be around. You'll have a more enjoyable break if you spend it as an immediately family instead of throwing yourselves into a toxic family situation. 

Well, you now have 15 tips to decrease your overall stress this holiday season. Choose a few to work on and make a priority throughout the next few weeks, and let me know how it goes.

Now it's your turn:

What sorts of stress have you experienced this Christmas season so far? What are 2 tips that you can commit to working on throughout the next few weeks?

Thankfulness Project Monday

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.  ~Cynthia Ozick


Isn't the above quote so very often true? We can often remember to be grateful for the big things in life, such as a vacation, new car, or something we've long awaited for. However, sometimes we forget to be just as grateful for the little things in life. Besides, don't the little things often become the big things in life?


With this in mind, here are a few of the "little things" that I'm grateful for right now:

• Christmas movies: OK, I know that I put this on my list last week too, but I'm using it again because I'm equally as thankful for them this week. I've watched a Christmas movie a night this week, and I've loved that! Some of them have been busts (A Princess for Christmas, anyone?), and some of them have been great (Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Vacation, Elf, Love Actually, The Holiday, & Christmas in Connecticut, to name a few). It's such a relaxing way to end the day. 
• My Space Heater & Blankets: These things keep me WARM and cozy in the winter. I don't like turning my heat on too high because I think it's a waste of money, so it usually hovers between 64 and 66 degrees, but sometimes lower. The space heater warms up the room I'm in, and is much cheaper. Of course blankets are a HUGE help as well! Cozy and cheap- that's the way I like it. 
• Luna Bars: Easy and convenient, these guys are a great way to boost my energy towards the end of the work day, and before my evening work outs. They are delicious, unlike many protein bars I've tried, and are easy to throw into any bag I choose to take with me. 
• Lotion for the winter: I use much thicker cream lotion for the winter, and I'm so glad they invented this stuff! My face and body gets SO dry and uncomfortable in the winter, and I would feel pretty miserable without this stuff. It's a little thing that is easy to pass up when thinking about "gratefuls" for the day, but I'm very glad that I have found something that makes the winter a little more comfortable.
• Scarves: They're a fun accessory, but can also have a very practical use in the winter as well. I love adding a scarf to my outfit for the day:)

Now it's your turn:

What are you feeling thankful for right now? What's your favorite Christmas movie or favorite way to get in extra protein in the day?

Candy Cane Oatmeal

Last weekend I wanted to make a Christmas sort of oatmeal. If you've been following this blog for long, you may know how much I love making all sorts of varieties of oatmeal, and especially love making them for the season! As I paced about my living room and kitchen trying to come up with what to do to my oatmeal, my eyes landed on a box of "Candy Cane Lane" tea. I immediately knew what I wanted to make: Candy Cane Oatmeal!

Ingredients
Water
Candy Cane Tea
Oats
Brown Sugar
Raisins
Cranberries
Almond Slices

I started out by bringing the water to a hard boil. I then pulled the pan off the stove and put 1 candy cane lane tea bag in the water. For a stronger tea flavor, put in more tea bags! I let the bag sit in the water for about 5 minutes, and then pulled the bag out of the water.

I then put in the appropriate amount of oats for the fluid I had, cooked, and added toppings. 

Voila! DELICIOUS and healthy oatmeal that is perfect for the Christmas Season!

I stopped myself before adding crushed up candy canes to the top of it, but I'm a little tempted to try it out next time! Of course you could make this with any type of tea, but the Candy Cane tea made it more Christmas-y! 

If you're looking for other "fun" types of oatmeal, here's a few others to check out:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Apple Cranberry Oatmeal

Peanut Butter & Jelly {with Chocolate} Oatmeal

Tropical Oatmeal

Now it's your turn:

What are some of your favorite extras to add to oatmeal? Have you ever tried Candy Cane flavored tea? 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

This week one of my favorite "little delights" has been Christmas Baking. It started last weekend with a delicious creation of "candy cane" oatmeal ("recipe" coming soon!) and Heather's Peppermint Cookies, both of which I could eat continuously for weeks! YUM! I love cooking while Christmas music is playing in the background. While cooking can, at times, increase my stress, when it comes to "fun" Christmas cooking, I can feel my stress melting away. 

Favorite Quote of the Week

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you choose to be a "small mind" and simply discuss people (gossip), or do you choose to have a great mind, and challenge yourself? That choice is YOURS!

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Don't Put It Off by Tina at Best Body Fitness. This is an absolutely fantastic post from the first to the last word, and is a quick read. I would highly encourage you to check it out... after finishing this post, of course ;)

Favorite Past Post

10 Ways To Develop A Positive Body Image - Sometimes during the holiday season it is difficult to feel good about ourselves and our bodies. Check out my tips to develop and maintain a healthy body image! 

Favorite Search Term

• Acorn Squash Roasted with Sausage & Apples
• daily garnish quinoa
• reducing stress during the holidays (part 1 and 2 of this series was posted this week!)
• ecuador colors
• who I am today

Now it's your turn!

What's your favorite thing to cook or eat during the Christmas season? What are some of your "favorites" from the week?

Tips For Reducing Stress During the Holidays {Part 2}

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.  ~Bob Hope

A few days ago I posted part 1 of the series on reducing stress during the holidays. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

Obviously there are a LOT of different things you can do to reduce stress, so here are 5 more tips for reducing stress:

• Focus on the "little joys": It's easy to get caught up in the big things of the Christmas season. However, it's often the little or simple things that we remember (see the quote above). When I think of Christmas, it's not the big activities that I think about (they may be "big", but that can lead to more stress too), but the little things: drinking hot chocolate by the fire, watching cheesy Christmas movies, or sleeping next to the Christmas tree with my brothers. None of these are great occasions, but they are the things I ache for all year round and look forward to anxiously as Christmas approaches. 
• PLAN! (yet be flexible): Plan our your menus & go shopping ahead of time. There's a lot of food that you can purchase a week or two in advance, which will be helpful in avoiding large lines. This will also (hopefully) ensure that you don't forget something essential along the way. 
• Be Flexible in Creating New Traditions: Ok, I have to admit: this was really hard for me to type  and i'm having a slight panic attack just thinking about it. Seriously, I'm a big "traditions" girl, so I know how tough it can be to be flexible in letting go of, or starting, a tradition. However, because families and friends are always changing, flexibility in this area is important in order to reduce stress (and stay HAPPY throughout the holiday season). Take a deep breath, engage in positive self talk, and tell yourself that you are ok. It is also fine to tell those around you that it is stressful for you to try a new tradition, but that you are trying hard to enjoy it. Acknowledging how you are feeling is fine!
• Ask For Help! Maybe holidays bring out a nasty side of family members, and you need help from a counselor to learn how to best deal with this. OR, maybe it's help in preparing for a party. Remember that we aren't meant to do life alone, and social support is crucial for a healthy life. Ask your friends, family, or a professional for help if you need it!
• Continue to practice gratitude and thankfulness: I wrote an entire post on this practice, and you can check it out here. Regularly practicing this can lower blood pressure and make you less hostile, which is definitely important during the holiday season! 

*This post is part of a series on various aspects of health during the holidays. Make sure to stay tuned for more posts on this subject.

Now it's your turn:

How do you deal with stress in any of the areas above? Do you struggle to feel "ok" when traditions change, or are you more of a "go with the flow" person? 

Tips For Reducing Stress During the Holidays {Part 1}

Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  ~Author Unknown

Last year I did a post on Tip for Surviving the Holidays with Family. I think many of these tips are applicable in each of your lives (unless your family is, in fact, perfect!), so make sure to check them out!

Stress levels can easily sky-rocket during the holiday season, which can place further distress on our relationships. Today I want to pass along a few tips for reducing stress during the holidays.

• Prioritize Your Activities! There are so many great activities this time of year in which to participate. Christmas movies, Christmas concerts, parties, gift exchanges, caroling, cooking decorating parties: you name it, it exists and you've probably been invited to it. You can't do everything, so prioritize and say "no" to those activities that don't make the cut. For the people pleaser, this is difficult, but remember that YOUR HEALTH is important (if you are a people pleaser, click here and scroll down to the "boundaries" category).
• Make Sure To Take Your "Me" Time: While this is a good season to look outside ourselves, give to others, and celebrate with one another, it's important to get a few minutes every day for self care. The ability to recharge ourselves helps create a buffer against holiday stress, and increases our patience towards those around us. 
• Maintain healthy habits: During holidays it's easy to give up exercise, healthy eating, and sleep. Doing that will certainly make you feel worse both physically and emotionally. Make sure to continue your healthy habits as much as possible, and remember that balance is important!
• Set a budget for yourself: Our stress can increase if we dig ourselves into a financial mess. Be wise with your spending, and make sure you are careful on how you spend. If you are lonely or feeling "low" emotionally, there can be a temptation to buy "stuff" in order to cope. It might help in the moment, but will not actually help the situation, and put you in a bigger mess when it comes time to pay the bills. This can be a HUGE stressor for months following Christmas, so make this "tip" a priority. (This is also why I started this post with the quote above).
• Release the expectation of a "perfect" holiday: Most of us imagine the holiday in a certain way. Even if it isn't "perfect", this imagination tends to become our expectation of what the holiday will be. To be healthy, it is important to let go of expectations for the "perfect" meal, the "perfect" gifts for families, the "perfect" decorations for the house, etc... Do your best, but don't kill yourself over trying to make everything about the holiday perfect. You (or your children) will more then likely remember how stressful it was over how fun it was. 

*Part 2 of this post will be coming later this week!

Now it's your turn:

How do you work on reducing the stress in any of the areas listed above? 

Thankfulness Project Monday

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!  ~Author Unknown

I love the Christmas Season, and feel that it goes far too quickly. This weekend was low key, which was nice after a fall of constant busyness on the weekends. 

Here are a few of the things that I'm thankful for right now:

• Time to sleep in: Like I said, the last few months have been pretty busy, and I haven't really had a day to sleep in at all. The last two days I've gotten the chance to sleep in a bit and catch up on a little extra sleep. It's been fantastic!
• Christmas Concerts: Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a fantastic Christmas concert. It wasn't super traditional, but I really loved it! I'm a fan of anything that gets me in the Christmas spirit!
• Christmas Movies: I've been watching Christmas movies almost every day. Some of them are SUPER cheesy and cringe-worthy, but those are even fun to watch. I love the classics as well... Throw in a blanket, some Christmas lights, and hot chocolate, and it's a perfect evening in my book!
• Time for grocery shopping: Last week was so busy, that I didn't have time to grocery shopping. In fact, I haven't gone shopping in about 2 and a half weeks! I'm really excited to eat something besides oatmeal and scrambled eggs this week. 
• Running: I love the feeling of my muscles loosening up as I hit the pavement. The cooler weather has been fantastic to run in as well. 

Those are a few little things that I'm thankful for right now.

Now it's your turn:

What're you feeling thankful for today? 

A healthy and happy Christmas

Well, Christmas has come and gone now. I must admit, I was fairly apprehensive about the day leading up to it. My family is incredibly into traditions, so we've done Christmas pretty much the exact same way for the last 2 decades. However, due to a set of very unfortunate circumstances, we were not able to celebrate Christmas the way we normally do. As a counselor, I understand that mentally the way to deal with this is to initiate some positive thinking, and challenge the cognitive distortions that I so quickly say to myself (This will be a miserable Christmas, there's no way we can have fun, it's terrible, etc...). We each easily distort reality, which makes things far worse and miserable for ourselves. So, I started telling myself I would have a good Christmas. It was unfortunate that we couldn't celebrate the way we normally do, but it can still be fun. And guess what?
I HAD A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS! It was an absolutely wonderful day. We stayed in our pjs until dinner, opened gifts really slowly, enjoying the time we had as a family. The Christmas lights, snow outside, and the fire roaring in the fireplace created a beautiful ambiance, and the day was filled with laughter and joking. Had I not challenged those cognitive distortions, the day would not have been nearly as fun. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I still wish that the set of circumstances had not occurred, but I'm thankful for the wonderful day with family that I had. And I have to say, because I was so aware of my thoughts, I think this was the most healthy Christmas I've ever had!

 I hope that each of you, my readers, had a wonderful day with your family and friends. Remember to fight those cognitive distortions that can so easily take over and put us in a grouchy mood:) Merry Christmas.

 I love Christmas lights at night-SO beautiful

Santa always "drops a present from his sleigh" leaving our house:) The youngest child is required to go get it:)

Tips for Surviving the Holidays with Family

I'm now at my parent's house for Christmas. I've been having a lot of fun, doing pilates, going on walks, and staying up late with my brothers watching TV with the fire burning and Christmas lights on above us. It's really wonderful. However, holidays can also bring a lot of stress with them. Because I work with college students, I get to hear both the joy and the fear or saddness that comes with spending time with family. I feel bad for those that walk into difficult family situations filled with yelling, verbal cut downs, or abuse. That's not what any of us need on our breaks from work or school. However, we sometimes can feel that we can't avoid our families over breaks. The best thing we can do is develop a number of strategies to keep ourselves safe and healthy.
Following are a few suggestions to keep yourself sane and healthy around your family:

1. Develop & maintain healthy boundaries: (See previous posts for information on boundaries) Remember that you can only control your own thoughts, feelings, & behaviors. And you are not responsible for those of others. So make sure to not take on the guilt that family members can try to make you feel.
2. Spend some time laughing each day: Laughter is a wonderful medicine for our souls! Find websites, comics, jokes, or tell funny stories around the table.
3. It's OK to take a breather: Sometimes family tensions can run high, and fights can escalate very quickly. When tensions are running high, it's ok to leave the run and do some deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga to bring your stress and blood pressure down. You'll have a better time if you do that instead of engaging in stupid fights.
4. Have an Out: There's nothing that REQUIRES you to stay in the house with your family 24/7. Find a local bookstore, coffee shop, or a friend's house and take some time alone!
5. Keep a Thankfulness Journal: Sometimes it can seem like everything is going poorly/is stressful/parents nagging/can't ever make anyone happy. Focus on what's good and what's positive in your life, and your mood will increase!
6. Exercise! Exercise helps to decrease stress and increase your mood. Even if it's chilly out, go outside and take a brisk walk while looking at Christmas lights! If it's too cold, check out realage.com and do their 2 walking videos! That will give you 2 miles in about 25 minutes!
7. Remember that it won't last forever You can survive anything for a short amount of time, right?
8. Find common areas of interest, or something you know will keep conversation light: It might be fun to debate religion or politics with family members, but if it leaves people slamming doors or not talking the rest of the night, it may be better to keep conversation light to decrease overall stress in the house.
9. Remember that you can always say NO. You are not required to do everything that everyone else wants to do. You have the right to take care of yourself too. Just remember to work on compromises:)
10. Limit your alcohol. It might make you feel better in the moment, but if you drink too much, you won't be pleasant or enjoy the next morning! Plus, when drinking, it's easy to say or do things that are hurtful to others. Use in moderation.

Of course, these are only a few suggestions, but they have helped me enjoy my days with my family, both immediate and extended, throughout many holidays. Have more ideas? Leave them as a comment or tweet them to me!

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

I've always loved the Christmas season, and look forward anxiously to its arrival. And, although i know this bothers many people, I start listening to Christmas Music on November 1st, because 1 month is simply not long enough to enjoy all the music I love. One of my new favorite Christmas songs is I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Although I grew up singing this song, I never really liked it and felt no connection to the song until I learned the story behind the song (isn't is true that things aren't nearly as meaningful until we understand the story behind what we can see?).

The words to the song were penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a well known American poet from the 1800's. In the early 1860s, Longfellow's wife's dress caught on fire, and she went up in flames. Longfellow tried to put the fire out with a small rug, but the fire was too large. He then proceeded to put the fire out using his own body. His wife died the next morning, and he was so badly burned that he couldn't attend her funeral. The beard that is typical in pictures of Longfellow is there because he could no longer shave because his face was so disfigured. This was also the time of the Civil War, and Longfellow's son had been badly wounded in battle. After these challenging few years, Longfellow was in a devastated state ("inwardly bleeding to death"), and felt that there was no peace or joy left, and all he could do was hang his head in despair. But then he walked outside on Christmas morning, I heard the bells ringing... and wrote this song (see link below to listen).

Understanding the story behind the words, I'm deeply moved by this song. As a counselor, I don't like to see people in pain, and at the same time, I know that from a state of pain there can come great growth and resilience. So, in some ways, I like to see the pain, because I know that we can work from there.

Songs can deeply move us, motivate us, and touch us in ways that a conversation can't.

If that doesn't work, you can click here to listen to the song!